Cited By
View all- Cheung GLee ACheng KLee H(2013)Dispensable, Tweakable, and Tangible ComponentsGames and Culture10.1177/15554120134968938:4(259-288)Online publication date: 31-Jul-2013
Remix and play: lessons from rule variants in texas hold'em and halo 2
Pages 559 - 568
Abstract
Players can change the rules of a multi-person game to experience a different gameplay mechanic, add thematic color, or fine-tune its balance. To better understand game variants, we use a grounded approach to analyze 62 variants for Texas Hold'em, a popular card game, and a follow-up case-study of 91 variants of Halo 2, a popular video game. We study their development and examine whether lessons from Texas Hold'em apply to a constrained system such as Halo 2. We discover video gamers' reliance on 'honor rules', rules dependent on the cooperative spirit of its players. We develop a theory of 'necessity' in rule adoption, showing players' sensitivity to the impact of one change on the whole game. In solving game-design problems, adjustments drawn from a set of 'canned' rule changes address common problems with familiar solutions. We find a complex interplay between who can play and what rules are chosen. Our findings have implications for game designers and for variants in non-game contexts.
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- Remix and play: lessons from rule variants in texas hold'em and halo 2
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Published In
February 2012
1460 pages
ISBN:9781450310864
DOI:10.1145/2145204
- General Chairs:
- Steven Poltrock,
- Carla Simone,
- Program Chairs:
- Jonathan Grudin,
- Gloria Mark,
- John Riedl
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Published: 11 February 2012
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View all- Cheung GLee ACheng KLee H(2013)Dispensable, Tweakable, and Tangible ComponentsGames and Culture10.1177/15554120134968938:4(259-288)Online publication date: 31-Jul-2013
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